Since I Found Serenity
by masked-spangler
Summary: Crossover between BtVS and Firefly. The council's search for a lost magic gem sends Buffy and Giles far from home. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Since I Found Serenity  
  
Note: This is a Buffy/Firefly cross-over. I am assuming you will not be reading unless you know both worlds. We are post-series for both of them :)  
  
It was night in Rome, and it was late enough that the even the city's resident slayer was sleeping. Buffy Summers had already squeezed in dinner with her sister Dawn, patrol, and an evening at a local night club with her visiting friend Xander. She was in deep, well-earned sleep now, and in no mood to be woken up by the shrill of the telephone.  
  
Buffy buried her head in the pillow and waited. The ringing stopped, then as she exhaled and turned over again, resumed. With a sigh, she reached for the phone and murmured a sleepy hello.  
  
"Hello, Buffy," her former watcher greeted.  
  
"Giles? Is everything...look, you are aware that there is a time difference, and it's, like, 4 in the morning here, right?"  
  
"The time difference between Rome and London is rather immaterial when I am sitting in a coffee shop half a block down the street from you, Buffy."  
  
"Oh." She sat up, instantly alert. "When is it?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The apocalypse, why else would you be here? When is it?"  
  
He slowly exhaled. "We should meet. Now."  
  
She was already rummaging for clothes. "I am assuming you are at Stazzie's? Can't think of who else would be open this late..."  
  
"How long will you be?" he asked.  
  
"Depends on where we're going afterward."  
  
There was silence for a moment as he thought about arrangements. "I understand Xander is in town?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"And Dawn will be all right with him for a few days?"  
  
"Oh, of course."  
  
"Might as well leave straight from here once I've briefed you, then. Pack light and dress practically. How long do you..."  
  
"Half an hour," she said. "Oh, and Giles?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"You do realize that it's, like, 4 in the morning here?"  
  
When she arrived at the coffee shop, she found her watcher not only waiting, but comfortably ensconced as if he had been there for some time. He was dressed casually in black cargo pants, a t-shirt, leather jacket and heavy boots, and at his feet, he had a small duffel.  
  
"Well, aren't you all decked out!" she noted with a smirk.  
  
He looked up from his reading with a thin smile. "I did say dress practical, didn't I?" He appraised her outfit---jeans, a t-shirt and fleece pull-over tied around her waist---with a curt nod. "That'll do."  
  
"Well, since you didn't tell me where we're going, I had to cover all the bases." She dropped her backpack and sat down. "A few changes of clothes, the latest Danielle Steele, the more portable items from my weapons stash and a box of Power Bars. Did I do all right?"  
  
"Perfect." He squinted, fiddling with a dull, old-fashioned ring on his left hand. "Danielle Steele?"  
  
"Only thing I can read on airplanes."  
  
"Right. About that...well, that's not entirely the kind of travel we'll be doing. Let me back up for a moment. Have you ever heard of the Gem of Kadaari?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"Kadaari was a powerful 10th century wizard, and the first watcher to formally mention a hellmouth in his diaries. He had a slayer, and she was killed by a vampire we believe to be the Master, when he tried to open a portal to hell in the town square."  
  
"Lovely."  
  
"She gave her life to stop him, but Kadaari worried that as soon as the Master had his strength back, he would try to open a portal elsewhere. So he called upon all the magic he knew to create a force that could seal up a portal to hell and neutralize its magic."  
  
Buffy frowned. "What do you mean by neutralize?"  
  
"Well, it's one thing to seal up a hellmouth, as we did. But that second step, that's what prevents someone from opening it up again. That crater in Sunnydale is still brimming with black magic. It's just hidden beneath the surface now."  
  
"But I thought the spell we did...and Spike..."  
  
"Under ordinary circumstances, yes. But this is a hellmouth, Buffy. Everything is stronger there---good magic, yes, but bad magic too."  
  
"So it's heating up again?"  
  
"Right. The council's been keeping an eye on the former Sunnydale, and apparently it's starting to get pilgrims. It's only a matter of time before some of them decide to pool their resources."  
  
"Okay...but Giles, I'm not the witch here. What do you need me for?"  
  
He fiddled again with the ring. "Thing is, the gem, it's...well, it's kind of lost."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Of course it would be. Do I even want to ask, lost how?"  
  
"Kadaari left the gem with an order of monks for safe-keeping, and..."  
  
"Monks? Right. Cause that always ends well."  
  
"Actually, it was just fine for several hundred years, and the gem was used on 4 occasions to neutralize the magic in a potential hellmouth. Unfortunately, about 3 centuries ago, the monks fled to another dimension to escape growing religious persecution, and it's been a bit hard to keep track of them since---time moves differently in parallel dimensions, and events in their world have been rather tumultuous of late..."  
  
"Okay, again, I sympathize, but Giles, what do you need ME for?"  
  
"Well, I realize that you aren't working with the council these days, but you ARE still a slayer and you of all people understand what is at stake here. I can't go alone, and inter-dimensional travel is a little rough for a person without a slayer's constitution."  
  
"But you're coming too, right? So how does that..."  
  
"I've actually already spent some time in that world," he admitted.  
  
"What? When?"  
  
"Oh, a long time ago. But that's immaterial, as it turns out. It's like riding a bicycle, it stays with you...I might be a bit woozy for a day or so, but I'll bounce back much faster than most people."  
  
Buffy nodded, still processing the whole idea. "So...how does this work, exactly? When do we..."  
  
"Right now. The ring I'm wearing will open a portal both ways---get us safely there and back. You ready?"  
  
He held out his palm. She picked up her bag with one hand, and wrapped the fingers of the other around his hand.  
  
"Let's do it," she said.  
  
There was a flash of light, and when she opened her eyes, they were standing in mud-soaked alley, the crud already sticking to her shoes.  
  
Buffy choked back a cough, put a steadying hand on Giles' shoulder and waited for her vision to clear.  
  
"Wow," she managed.  
  
Giles looked faintly queasy, but managed to collect himself. "Indeed. Are you all right?"  
  
"Looks like. Figures we'd wind up in an alley, doesn't it? Does this world have vampires?"  
  
"Yes, but they are called something else and don't work in quite the same way. Listen, Buffy, there are a few things I should tell you about, before we..."  
  
"Right. A few things. Well, I am assuming you have some sort of plan beyond 'roam around looking for a gem' am I right?"  
  
"Well, firstly, we find a place to sleep for the night. Then tomorrow, we look for a bookstore."  
  
She narrowed her eyes. "A bookstore? That's your grand plan?"  
  
"Buffy, last time I was here, this world was in the midst of a civil war. I can't very well march up the first available citizen and simply ask who won it, can I? It's just like at home, we need context. Research. Information."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"We'd best find ourselves a temple, too. Since we are looking for monks, after all..."  
  
He picked up his bag and walked out into the city. It was large, dirty and vaguely familiar.  
  
"This world's not so different from ours," she said, surprised. "Except for looking a little bit like the rejected set of a really bad Western..."  
  
"That's actually not a bad description. I've been here before. I think this is Persephone. It's a core planet, but one of the more frontier ones."  
  
"Whoa, back up for a second. Planet? This dimension has more than one planet?"  
  
"Well, don't look so surprised. I did say there were things I had to tell you."  
  
"Giles, it was needle-in-a-haystacky enough to think we just had one world to search. How on earth do you think we're going to find the gem if we have more than one planet to deal with? Is it a very BIG gem?"  
  
He smiled faintly, still looking a little sick. "Panicking accomplishes nothing, Buffy. The only way we can do this is in a methodical, organized fashion. Oh, hello. What's this?"  
  
He was kneeling before a newspaper box, studying the headlines and making interested murmurs as he read.  
  
Buffy knelt beside him. "What?"  
  
"Governing council, united committee...that sounds like the Alliance. Guess we know who won the war now, don't we? Pity. I was rather rooting for the independents."  
  
"Ooookay. Um, listen, Giles, about your plan..."  
  
He shushed her and ducked behind the newspaper box, eyes following a passer-by with sudden interest.  
  
"That man is wearing the collar of a shepherd," he said.  
  
"A shepherd...oh, you mean a monk? He's one of the monks we're looking for?"  
  
"Yes. Let's follow..."  
  
She picked up both their bags and crept after Giles. It was nearly dusk, and the man, dark-skinned and with only a shock of ponytailed silver hair to mark him, was difficult to make out. But he didn't go far, ducking into a small pub barely three blocks later. Buffy grabbed the nearest table and plopped down with their bags while Giles eavesdropped.  
  
"...should be clear to leave tomorrow," the 'shepherd' was telling a neatly-dressed somewhat prim-looking man. "If you were able to get your supplies, doctor?"  
  
"Yes," the man answered. "I suppose I should head back to the ship?"  
  
The shepherd clapped him on the shoulder. "Perhaps you have time for one more drink. Inara has quite a bond with your sister. I am told there was to be braiding of hair?"  
  
The doctor smiled in obvious relief, took another swig of his drink, then cast a wink at a young lady who was lined up at the bar, apparently just arrived. She waved back and beamed a smile at the shepherd, who was obviously an acquaintance.  
  
Giles nodded to Buffy. "Wait here." He walked up to the bar, leaned casually against it, and nodded to the girl.  
  
"Hello," he said.  
  
She turned to him, smiled. "Oh. Hello."  
  
"Nice evening, isn't it?"  
  
"What? Oh, sure! Fresh breeze, open air..."  
  
"Nice to have your feet on the ground from time to time, isn't it?"  
  
She looked suddenly suspicious. "Oh? How so?"  
  
"Heard your friends chatting," he said. "You people have a ship, do you not?"  
  
"Well, yes..."  
  
"My friend and I," he said, nodding to where Buffy was seated, "Happen to be looking for a ride."  
  
"On, well, we're mostly cargo, though we do take passengers from time to time...them that can pay, I mean..."  
  
"That shouldn't be a problem."  
  
"Oh, well that's...where did you say you were going?"  
  
"For now, we're rather flexible. Just anxious to be on our way, and when we heard that you had a shepherd on board..."  
  
That amused her. "Oh yeah? That ain't ever been a selling point, if you can believe. Shepherd'll probably love to have some like types on board for awhile. Of course...you ain't Alliance, are ya?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Cause if you got some quarrels with the Alliance, then we ain't..."  
  
"My dear, not only do I have no quarrels with the Alliance, I have no interest in them either. Strictly private business, I assure you."  
  
He opened his pocket and pulled out a small pouch, which he dangled before her. "And we are certainly good for the fare..."  
  
She peeked into the pouch, eyes widening. "-We de ma-! That's...look, we got to clear all this with the captain, but..."  
  
"Oh, of course."  
  
"You folks know where the ship docks are?"  
  
"We should be able to find them."  
  
"Well, our ship's the Firefly. Serenity, she's called. You come on by tomorrow morning, meet the captain, see what we can work out..."  
  
"Thank you, Miss..."  
  
"Oh! I'm Kaylee! Kaylee Frye."  
  
He bowed slightly. "Miss Frye. It has been a pleasure."  
  
He eased smoothly back over to his table, leaving the young woman smiling.  
  
end part 1 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
There were rooms for rent on the second floor of the tavern, and they booked two adjoining ones for the night. Giles still looked a little dizzy, and trying to process all of the new information on world events since he had last been here was not helping.  
  
"So the Alliance won the war," he babbled as Buffy pulled off his boots for him. "And judging by the reaction that young woman had to them, I am guessing her ship is run by a free agent. We'd best get our story straight, Buffy, they're likely to question us, make sure we're on the right side."  
  
"What story? We're looking for a gem, and..."  
  
"Well, we can't tell them that straight off---not until we've made contact with the shepherd and explained things to him. Hopefully, he'll be able to point us in the right direction and tell us where we can book passage. Although, if the ship is the type I think it is, they'll take any job they can. They would probably take us themselves if we pay, and the council did provide us with plenty of currency...."  
  
"Okay...so what IS our story? For now, I mean."  
  
He frowned. "I suppose we're prospectors," he said. "On the lookout for new business opportunities. Explains why they've found us on a fringe planet and not a central one."  
  
"Okay, so you're a prospector and I am your...what, wife? daughter? travelling companion?"  
  
"Oh, not companion! That means something entirely different in this world. You are my associate. We are prospecting. That will do."  
  
The story thus established, her watcher sank back into the cushions with a queasy sigh and fell asleep.  
  
They were up at the crack of dawn, as if on instinct.  
  
"I slept well for it being a strange world," Buffy cheerfully reported over a quick breakfast. "Feels enough like home."  
  
"We'll see if you change that view once we're in the air," he grinned. "Just try not to act TOO tourist---I can make a certain level of excuses for you, but I'm supposed to be an experienced traveler here."  
  
They got directions to the ship yard, and found the Serenity without any trouble. She was the only ship that was already making her preparations: the cargo door was open, and a large, loud man was loading boxes while a smaller and dirtier one in a jaunty bowler hat watched. The girl from the night before was arguing with a tense, unsmiling man who had to be the captain.  
  
"Just don't see why as we've taken passengers before, that it should be a problem!" she was complaining.  
  
The man put an arm on her shoulder with a patient sigh. "You know why, -mei-mei.- Life we lead, that doc is more valuable to us than a fare right now."  
  
"I know it! And I wouldn't be saying nothing if I weren't sure it was safe! Cap, you should have seen his sack of coins. Man that well-off, he won't be tempted by no Alliance bounty."  
  
When the captain looked like he might be weakening, Giles tugged Buffy's hand and they stepped out of the shadows. Kaylee noticed them at once, and waved them over with a loud hello.  
  
"Captain! This here's the fella, just like I said. Captain Reynolds, Mr...um..."  
  
"Giles," he said, taking the man's proffered hand. "My name is Mr. Giles, and this is my associate Miss Summers."  
  
"Buffy," she said. "You can call me Buffy."  
  
Captain Reynolds nodded. "My mechanic says you folks need a ride."  
  
"It would seem we do."  
  
"We ain't a cruise ship."  
  
"I realize that. But the Firefly is a solid class of vessel, and my associate hasn't been in space before. And we heard you had a shepherd on board..."  
  
"Yeah," the captain said, eyes narrowing. "Kaylee mentioned."  
  
"We won't be any trouble. And we will not affect your...your present business, I can assure you. I am fairly flexible as far as destination goes."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"I'm a prospector. I travel along until I see something worth stopping for..."  
  
The captain nodded. "Well, you seem like nice folk, and truth be told the fare ain't gonna hurt us. Only remaining issue being that we like to fly under the radar, if you know what I mean, and we won't take on those that don't fly that way too."  
  
"Understood," said Giles. "I've had some run-ins with the Alliance myself, and they do tend to complicate otherwise simple business, don't they?"  
  
That seemed to be the right answer. The captain stepped aside, and let them on his ship.  
  
Buffy tried to keep her eyes from bugging out too much. A spaceship! Wait until Dawn found out. Wait until Andrew did! Serenity seemed more of a workhorse than a glamour ship, but to Buffy, she was quite the specimen---long and round, like the firefly her class of ship was named for.  
  
The interior was spartan, but attempts at hominess had been made. The kitchen area had chairs with real cushions, and the walls had been painted yellow with a trim of little flowers. A ladder led up to the bridge, another in the opposite direction, to crew quarters, and from there, another down toward the cargo deck, infirmary and passenger cabins.  
  
"You're welcome to the common areas," the captain said. "Apart from that, I'll be asking you to stay in the passenger cabins. The bridge, the engine room, the cargo deck---they're off-limits without an escort. We got screens with cortex access, but we had some problems with passenger use of that before, so you tell the crew if you need access and we can arrange something supervised. We do have sit-down meals. Next one's at 1800, and you'd be welcome."  
  
The captain pulled out a walkie-talkie-like device and pressed a button. "All crew to the mess. We got travelers, and we'd best acquaint."  
  
The kitchen area quickly thickened with a growing congregation. The pilot, a fellow named Wash, popped in with his wife Zoe, who was the ship's second-in-command and who had an air about her Buffy recognized only too well as a fellow survivor of battle. They had already met Kaylee, and seen both the shepherd, Book, and the doctor the night before.  
  
"Doc's got a sister who keeps to herself," the captain said. "She's a little odd, but she won't hurt ya."  
  
The remaining two were more puzzling. Jayne, the big man who had been loading boxes, was introduced by name alone with no proper title, and Buffy's expert eye could make out half a dozen concealed weapons on him. And an elegantly dressed soft-spoken woman named Inara was introduced as a "companion" complete with titters by Jayne at the word. Buffy remembered Giles telling her that word meant something different on this world. She made a mental note to ask more about that later.  
  
"The doc'll be going your way to the passenger cabins," the captain said. "He'll settle you in..."  
  
The captain gave them a brisk nod, then headed up deck to check on the flight plan with Wash, and Kaylee gave them a brief smile, then headed back to the engine room. But the others did not disperse as quickly, curious about the newcomers.  
  
"So...you folks been in space before?" the shepherd asked.  
  
"Actually, yes," Giles said. "Not extensively in this particular region, but I did spend time on Sihnon a few years back..."  
  
"I am from Sihnon," Inara said.  
  
"Really? A lovely place. I saw the most fascinating bit of theatre while I was there...something with opera, I think it was."  
  
"The guild house on Sihnon is especially known for its musical talents," she said.  
  
"Oh? Do you sing, then? Or perhaps play an instrument?"  
  
"Both. Although not so much out here...it takes a...a special sort of gentleman to appreciate such talents."  
  
Jayne gave a crude snort, was met with a withering glare by Inara, then unrepentantly made his exit with a final long, creepy glance at the newcomers.  
  
"Yes, I imagine it would," Giles answered, watching the other man go. He nodded to Buffy. "What my associate calls 'music' could rupture an eardrum."  
  
"Hey!" Buffy complained.  
  
"Oh, all right," sighed Giles. "Pardon me for trying to enjoy the company of someone who shares my tastes for a change..."  
  
He brought a fist to his forehead and tried to massage away a crease between his eyes. Inara watched the circling of his hand with cool, but attentive curiosity. "Are you all right, Mr. Giles?"  
  
He lowered his fist with a tight smile. "Of course I am. And please, call me Rupert."  
  
Buffy snorted, then picked up both bags. "Well. Should we stow our gear?"  
  
Inara gave them a slight bow and exited the kitchen area, freeing Simon, their escort, to step out from behind the door jamb and fold his arms in front of them. "A word, if I may?"  
  
Buffy and Giles exchanged glances, shrugged and sat down again.  
  
"I want to tell you up front," the doctor said. "That my sister and I are fugitives from the Alliance, and there is a sizeable reward for our capture."  
  
Giles raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
  
"I am telling you this because it appears you are paying the captain well, and will probably be on this ship for some time. So if you plan to betray me, I would appreciate your getting it over with and telling me now."  
  
"We have our own business here," Giles said. "I have no interest in yours."  
  
"They took my sister away to this academy," Simon continued. "And they did things to her, experimented on her brain. They hurt her. I risked everything to save her, and I won't let anything compromise her safety."  
  
"Fair enough."  
  
"I realize that the captain can't afford to never take a fare again on my account, and River can stay out of sight when she has to, although not for long. But the reward IS significant, and Kaylee's word that you seem like nice people isn't quite enough for me, even with the captain restricting your cortex access."  
  
Giles pulled that same little pouch out of his pocket that he had shown the young mechanic at the bar the previous night. He placed it on the table and opened the drawstring, angling the contents so the doctor could look inside. "I've got at least a dozen more of these in my bag, Dr. Tam. I shan't be tempted by Alliance credits."  
  
"But...but why are you out here, then? In the frontier, in the black...you could almost buy a moon with what you have, if what you're telling me is true!"  
  
"As could you, if you turn your sister in and claim that bounty. We have our reasons, same as you."  
  
That answer seemed to please him. He rose to his feet and offered to show them to their rooms.  
  
Giles was sitting on the bed in Buffy's room, thinking out loud while she got her gear safely stowed.  
  
"A motley bunch," he mused. "More crew that I would expect for a ship this size. Wonder what that Jayne fellow does?"  
  
"My guess? Security," said Buffy, fiddling with her makeshift weapons stash. "Had half a dozen weapons on him---that I could tell, anyway."  
  
"Makes sense. I suspect these people don't exactly look for credentials if they're trying to both get work and stay out of the Alliance's way. Probably deal with their share of disreputables and see how a fellow like that might be useful if there was trouble."  
  
"You mean they're criminals? Great. That's just great. We're on a spaceship, in a strange dimension, with a bunch of criminals!"  
  
"Well, that's a relative term. That young mechanic seems very innocent. I wonder how she fell in with this lot?"  
  
"Never mind that, this whole place gives me the creeps. Is this whole dimension this creepy, or is it just these people?"  
  
"I can't say I find any of them especially 'creepy' per se, so perhaps I am not the best of judges. But Sihnon was a lovely place. What I saw of it, anyway."  
  
She narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"  
  
He looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Buffy, I..."  
  
"Fine, fine, don't tell me what you were doing on the creepy other-dimension-planet, I don't care. Can we just..."  
  
He suddenly smiled. "Aren't you in a mood!"  
  
She shuddered. "Look, I just...I don't want the hellmouth opened up again any more than you do, but Giles, this whole thing..."  
  
"Involves the council, which you hate, and a parallel dimension, which you find creepy?"  
  
"That. Also, I'm a little jet-lagged. Or space-lagged, whatever you call it. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."  
  
He nodded. "I appreciate the apology. Now, if we can just..."  
  
There was a knock at the door, and Giles looked up curiously. "Yes?"  
  
It was Inara, the "companion." She greeted them with a measured smile. "I trust you are settling in okay?"  
  
"Yes, thank you," Buffy said. "Inara, right?"  
  
The woman smiled again. "Yes. I hope I am not intruding."  
  
"Actually..." said Buffy.  
  
"Not at all," said Giles, moving his bag off a chair and nodding to her to sit. "I am delighted that a ship of this sort has a woman of your caliber aboard it."  
  
She smiled. "We do have a...a diverse crew. I realize this must seem overwhelming for you. I understand you haven't been in space before?"  
  
"My associate has seen little beyond Persephone, but I have had some dealings elsewhere."  
  
"Ah yes, your sojourn in Sihnon. Tell me, what brought you there?"  
  
He winced, and rubbed his head again. "Your lovely theatre, my dear. And...and the Makev Institute..."  
  
"Really? I did some of my own training there! The art of emotional control is required training for all members of the guild."  
  
"And of the guild I am part of as well. How long ago did you reside there?"  
  
"For a six-month term. Four years ago, I think?"  
  
"Was Dr. Lim still there? He does fabulous work on intuitive parapsychology..."  
  
"Oh! 'Enhance, Enhance!'"  
  
Both of them burst into giggles, and Buffy narrowed her eyes. "Um, Giles?"  
  
"Dr. Lim is pioneer in the use of essential oils to enhance the meditative state," he explained. "A controversial technique in my day, but an effective one."  
  
"So you had some kind of meditation training there?"  
  
"More like mental and emotional strengthening. It was after your...your accident..."  
  
Her death, he meant. She felt a flicker of guilt as she understood now why he hadn't wanted to talk about it. And a flicker of renewed curiosity as to just what this 'companion' person was anyway, if she needed that kind of training too...  
  
"This must be quite overwhelming," said Inara, turning to Buffy with that cool, steel smile of hers. "I imagine you've been getting quite a few ground rules thrown at you since you've come on board."  
  
"Oh yeah," said Buffy. "Keep out of my way, don't touch my gun, don't turn my sister in for Alliance bounties...fun stuff."  
  
"I'm sure. Well, I suppose I should say it, so there will be no doubt at all, but I do not service crew or passengers..."  
  
"Okay," said Buffy.  
  
The smile finally relaxed. "Well, then. Welcome aboard, and I will leave you to your business. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Giles. I hope you'll join us for the evening meal. It is rare indeed to meet a man out here who knows my world."  
  
She flitted out, a seamless train of silk and ornament. "All right," said Buffy. "Giles, what was that about?"  
  
Giles could barely speak past his blush. "She's a companion, Buffy. A sort of...sort of courtesan. Rather like the ancient Geisha."  
  
"So she won't pour us any tea? Oh, boo hoo."  
  
"Well, tea is a very small part of it. There is the sexual angle too."  
  
"Oh. Ohhhhhh. She's like a high-end call girl? A medieval high-end call girl, but in space?"  
  
"It happens to be an educated, respectable profession in this dimension. At any rate, her business on this ship shan't concern us. Shall we look for the shepherd? I think it's time to get this mission underway."  
  
To be continued...  
  
Chinese translations:  
  
mei-mei (little sister) 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Buffy and Giles walked into the kitchen together to find the shepherd already waiting for them.  
  
"Dinner is at 1800," he said.  
  
"Yes," said Giles. "We thought we might pass the time with some tea."  
  
The shepherd smiled and motioned to the table, where two extra mugs were already poured. "I thought you might."  
  
Buffy and Giles traded glances, then sat down.  
  
"You know, I've been on this ship for months," the shepherd said. "And nobody has ever signed up on account of my being here..."  
  
Giles gently smiled. "I'm sorry. We are not what you think we are."  
  
"I never said I believed you were. So, Mr. Giles, is it? Well, then. What's your business?"  
  
"We're here about the Gem of Kadaari."  
  
If the shepherd was surprised, he did not reveal it. He took a calm sip of tea, and said "A very interesting myth, that one."  
  
"It's not a myth," said Giles.  
  
"All right."  
  
Buffy fidgeted in her chair. "So is there some kind of protocol for this? A secret password or something?"  
  
The shepherd laughed. "Frankly, I'm not even sure I can help you, even if I did know where to find your gem. I am only a simple shepherd."  
  
"I very much doubt that," Giles said. "This crew has been full of surprises. Am I to believe you aren't one of them?"  
  
"You can believe whatever you wish, Mr. Giles. Although I am not entirely certain that someone who thinks that a mythical crystal is real should be lecturing me on what to believe..."  
  
"Look, Shepherd..."  
  
"You can call me Book."  
  
"All right, Book. Believe what you will about the gem, but am I correct in assuming that you do believe in a power greater than yourself?"  
  
"You are."  
  
"Well, then you know that power has its dark side too. And...that darkness will wreak havoc on our home if we don't locate the gem."  
  
"Well, now," said Book, taking another sip of tea. "By the look in your eyes, I'd say you do believe that much. Allow me to contact some of the elders at my monastery. You may have restricted cortex access, but I do not. Perhaps there is something to learn."  
  
Giles nodded. "I would appreciate that. And Book, I..."  
  
"I know, son. Let that not concern you. A shepherd never spills a confidence." With that, he drained the last of his tea and left them. None of them noticed the shadow lurking just out of sight on the steps to the bridge.  
  
People began arriving for dinner just as Buffy and Giles were finishing their tea. The doctor and Inara arrived almost together, and she greeted him with a kind nod.  
  
"And how is River today?" she asked him.  
  
Simon shrugged. "Coherent, for one thing. I adjusted her medication again, and she's still sleeping off the new dosage. I'll take something back to her."  
  
"What's wrong with your sister?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Some bad, bad people did experiments on her. It's affected her brain. She's a little..."  
  
"A little nuts," a gruff voice interrupted. Jayne lumbered into the kitchen and began foraging for a mug. "His sister, she ain't all there. You'll stay away from her if you ain't the same."  
  
Inara angled her shoulder in obvious snub, then turned to Buffy and Giles. "What Jayne was trying to say," she said. "Is that River is a lovely, sweet-natured girl who has been through a terrible ordeal."  
  
"Of course," said Giles.  
  
"She's harmless," Simon interrupted. "She may be a little...a little odd. But she's harmless."  
  
"-Jien tah du guai!-" snarled Jayne. "Are we all forgetting the time she..."  
  
"Now, Jayne," said Inara. "Surely that is a topic not suited for a civilized meal." She turned to Giles. "I have been trying to place the opera you mentioned earlier. Was there an extra aria in the third act, with a long soprano solo? Because if there was, it might have been..."  
  
Jayne's eyes widened. "He's one of them? One of them...them fancy-pants clients?"  
  
"One does not have to visit a guild house to be a man of culture," Giles answered. "Although...among this lot, it would certainly seem that would be the easiest place to find a like mind."  
  
Jayne frowned. "Was what an insult? Did this piece of -gos-se- just..."  
  
"Oh, me too," Buffy assured him. "I wouldn't take it personally..."  
  
"Food's ready," Simon called from the table. "We all here?"  
  
The crew descended and dug into their meal.  
  
"Well," said the captain, taking his seat. "Ain't this nice. Company for dinner. You folks settling in okay?"  
  
Giles nodded, struggling to swallow a bland, tofu-like cube. "Yes. Thank you."  
  
"So what's it like, living in Persephone?" the captain asked. "Never been there more than a day myself, but I got acquaintances...fellow called Badger?"  
  
Giles shrugged. "Don't know him."  
  
"You don't? But you're a prospector, is that right? Don't see how you'd get too far in a business like that, on Persephone, without running into ol' Badger."  
  
Giles took another mouthful of food. "I get by."  
  
"Thing is, it's his cargo we're hauling right now. Seems he would've mentioned you were local when he was loading it up, as you were coming aboard. You might not know him, but he would surely know you."  
  
Giles put down his fork and smiled diplomatically. "I really couldn't say."  
  
"And you don't SOUND local, either," the captain pressed. "Badger talks kind of like you and he sure ain't. But yet...Persephone is where I picked you up. And you told me your lady had never been in space before."  
  
"And? I paid my fair, Captain. I agreed to follow all your rules..."  
  
"Just don't like secrets is all. And if this gem you folks are hunting is gonna get me and mine into any sort of fix..."  
  
Giles paled, and Buffy reached under her sock for her spare stake. The flunky, Jayne, has his hand on her wrist immediately. She twisted free with barely any effort, and he fell to the floor with a whimper, clutching his wrist.  
  
"Now, see here," said the captain, smiling grimly. "This is just the sort of fix I was hoping to avoid. Doc, you go see to Jayne. Rest of you best head back to your posts. I think Zoe and me need to have a little chat with our new friends."  
  
They let the others disperse, then gave the captain several minutes to pace in a menacing fashion before Giles finally spoke.  
  
"Well, go ahead and ask us, then."  
  
"All right," the captain said. "Few things about you and yours not quite adding up, Mr. Giles. First being how your little lady---and I mean that literal---managed to throw off Jayne without even breaking a sweat. And while we're at it, why she's walking around my ship carrying little wooden knives in her shoe?"  
  
"Handy with the luggage too," said Zoe. "Noticed when you came aboard. Carried both of your bags like it was nothing."  
  
"She's an extraordinary woman," Giles said.  
  
"So's Zoe. Spent the whole war on the front with me, only other survivor from our original platoon. Tough as they come. Yet she still makes Jayne do all the heavy lifting."  
  
"Captain Reynolds..."  
  
"Then of course, there's that little story had my mechanic all upset. Said she heard you talking to the preacher. Said you told him you ain't quite what you seem."  
  
Giles quirked an eye, looking remarkably unconcerned. "Is that it, then? Would you like to continue making veiled accusations, or can I tell you what's really going on?"  
  
The captain sat back on his heels. "I'd like nothing better."  
  
"Well, all right. This will sound rather crazy, perhaps..."  
  
"You ain't met River yet, have you? Be tough to top her on the crazy front, and yet we still keep her around."  
  
"Fair enough. I will say, firstly, that you are correct. We are not from Persephone. Rather, we are from the space where Persephone would be if it were in our world."  
  
"Your world?"  
  
"A parallel dimension. Do you know what that is?"  
  
"The stuff of campfire tales?"  
  
"Actually, it's a fairly established theory, although perhaps not true in the sense that many believe it to be. Do you believe in magic, Captain?"  
  
"You mean, as in God? That what you wanted the preacher for?"  
  
"God is something else altogether, I assure you. Let's come at this another way. You believe in forces, do you not?"  
  
"You'd best be getting to the point real soon, my friend, -dong ma?-"  
  
"I am attempting to. There are forces you believe in---force of gravity, force of nature...well, good and evil are forces too. And where I'm from, there are those equipped to monitor those forces and attempt to alter the balance in either direction."  
  
The captain's frown diminished slightly.  
  
"There are...areas, let's call them, where certain forces are more concentrated. More tremors on a fault line than away from one, more gravity on a planet than on a ship, and more evil on a hellmouth than anywhere else on the planet."  
  
"A hellmouth," the captain repeated doubtfully.  
  
"You wanted the story, I'm giving it to you. Buffy is something we call a slayer in our world---a girl with superior strength, reflexes and agility who with the aid of the council which I am a part of, is one of the variables maintaining the balance between the forces of good and evil."  
  
"You know, this is actually making sense to me," Zoe said.  
  
"What exactly does she slay?" asked the captain.  
  
"Vampires, monsters, demons...or, in your terms, Reavers..."  
  
Now, Zoe looked doubtful. "She fights Reavers? This little thing?"  
  
"Hey!" protested Buffy.  
  
Giles silenced her with a glare, then to the others said "You're welcome to test her---under controlled circumstances, of course. I see you have a small gym on board..."  
  
Zoe nodded, and he continued his story. "Anyway, the hellmouth is one of our chief concerns. It's like a hotspot, if you will, where the forces on the side of evil are much more concentrated. Things...have a tendency to happen near one. We stopped a big thing from going wrong a few months ago, but we're worried that the hotspot might be heating up again. This gem we're looking for can stop that from happening."  
  
"And this involves the preacher in what way?"  
  
"Some time ago, his order was entrusted with keeping the gem safe for us. Unfortunately, it appears they've rather lost track of it. We arrived in Persephone with the intention of contacting the Order of the Shepherds and seeing if we might track it down. When we saw a shepherd strolling down the streets last evening, we thought he would be as good a place to start as any, and we followed him back the bar, where we met your charming mechanic. And that---that is out story. Truthfully."  
  
"Quite a story," said the captain.  
  
"It is."  
  
"And if he tells you where to find your gem?"  
  
"Then we hire a ship to take us there, using the generous assortment of coins provided by my employer for that purpose."  
  
The captain nodded. "Looks to me like you've already chosen your ship."  
  
"If you'll have us."  
  
"Don't rightly know that every part of that story makes sense to me," said the captain. "Specially the part about you being from some kind of other world. But I heard lots of stories in my day I didn't quite believe that turned out true. You ain't no harm to us?"  
  
"No."  
  
"And she's not going to go around those pointy little sticks at people?"  
  
"No."  
  
"All right. We got three more days til we hit Antigone with this load for Badger. You have a destination for me by then, you can hire us out to take you there. Any trouble between now and then, you're off at Antigone. We clear?"  
  
"Yes, Captain."  
  
And that was that.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Chinese translations:  
  
Jien tah du guai (like hell)  
gos se (dog crap)  
dong ma (understand) 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
The clock in her bunk said it was nearly midnight, but Buffy was having trouble sleeping. She supposed it was best they had their secret out in the open, but her slayer senses were twitching and she had a bad feeling about this. With a sigh, she gave up on sleep, grabbed her book and headed for the lounge area by the kitchen, hoping the cheerful scenery would help her relax. She had barely gotten through half a chapter when she heard a voice behind her.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
The little mechanic, Kaylee, leaned hesitantly against the doorjamb. "Can I..."  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure."  
  
Kaylee nodded, then sat down beside her. "Sorry I told on ya."  
  
Buffy looked up from her reading. "What's that?  
  
"Heard you got yelled at. That was on account of me, and I'm sorry. Just...Cap had a right to know is all. We've had people before, they had secrets...that's never good."  
  
"Look, Kaylee..."  
  
"Shoulda just told us is all," the girl said. "Been truthful."  
  
"Oh?" Buffy paused mid-page-turn. "Hi, we're from another dimension, and we want to rent your spaceship to hunt down our magic crystal. You would've just said oh, that's nice?"  
  
"Well, you don't know!" Kaylee said, voice shrilling up a little. "You talk to River for 5 minutes, you'd see we're a boat that's used to things sounding odd. And you talk to the captain, you'd see he don't much care what the bauble is or why you want to have it, so long as you pay your fare up front and don't run us afoul of nobody. You shoulda...shoulda told us is all..."  
  
Buffy put down her book with a faintly bemused smile. "Fair enough. Now if I might ask you to look at it from my point of view?"  
  
Kaylee sighed. "I know, I know..."  
  
"No, you don't. Do you know what a hellmouth is?"  
  
"A...hellmouth...?"  
  
"I used to live on one. And it's...look, you've been out here awhile, what's the scariest thing you've seen?"  
  
"Reavers," Kaylee said at once. "Only I ain't...well, I ain't seem 'em, so much as...seen what they leave behind..."  
  
"Okay. Now, picture a spaceship ten times the size of Serenity. And it's filled with Reavers. And then your captain tells you that you have to go in there, to the engine room, the heart of the ship. You have to go in there alone. And you have to come out again."  
  
The girl paled so much that Buffy was afraid she had over-done it, but she pressed on. "That's what we're facing if we don't get the gem, Kaylee. I've seen it before---seen things go wrong, seen friends die. I don't want to know who we're gonna lose if we don't pull it off this time."  
  
Kaylee closed her eyes, clearly living the image she had conjured.  
  
"I couldn't take any chances here, you understand? I didn't know what you...this isn't my world!"  
  
Kaylee swallowed and bit her lip, clearly fighting back tears. "I got it," she snuffled. "I got it, all right?"  
  
"And I got it too," Buffy said, nudging the girl with an encouraging smile. "Okay?"  
  
Kaylee sniffled again, and took a deep breath. "Okay. If you don't mind, I think I'll head on back to my bunk. Got me some nightmares about ships full of Reavers to have..."  
  
Buffy winced. "There's no need for that. Guess I probably should have mentioned the bit about where I've been doing this since I was 15 first, huh? Kaylee, me versus Reavers? Reavers go down. You understand?"  
  
Kaylee nodded, then sniffled again. "Night, Buffy."  
  
"Night, Kaylee."  
  
She returned to her book, wondering if she had done the right thing.  
  
Their first morning on Serenity was a subdued affair. Kaylee arrived for breakfast arm in arm with Inara, who ushered her to her seat with almost maternal attentiveness. The young mechanic looked pale and twitchy, as if she hadn't slept.  
  
"Here, -mei-mei,-" Inara cooed, pouring a mug of tea for her friend. "Drink this." She nodded good mornings to Jayne, Zoe, and Wash, who traded confused glances before wordlessly appointing Zoe to ask the requisite "Is everything okay?"  
  
Inara's posture did not give up an inch of its controlled self-possession, but the quick, resentful glance she cast at Buffy did not go unnoticed. "Of course it is. Tea?" She held up the kettle. "There are still a few cups..."  
  
Zoe trained her eyes one at a time on Inara, on Kaylee, on Buffy. "So I am guessing word got around about the visitors."  
  
Kaylee attempted a brave smile. "Kinda exciting, isn't it? People from another world...probably have lots of neat stories you can tell about what things are like where you're from..."  
  
A flat, clipped voice answered for her. "No. You've heard enough stories."  
  
Giles turned to the new arrival with a welcoming smile. "And this must be River."  
  
The girl looked to be about 17, and she had long, brown hair and a creepily vacant smile.  
  
"Two by two," she said. "Shiny. It gets into you."  
  
Buffy and Giles traded glances. Simon hustled in behind his sister, looking tense and attentive, as he always did where she was concerned. He gratefully accepted a mug of tea from Inara, then joined the growing crowd at the table. "Stories about what?"  
  
"Kaylee was just trying to pretend our new guests aren't freaking her out," Zoe explained with a smile.  
  
Kaylee blushed, then met Zoe's eyes with a defiant pout. "Well, she didn't keep YOU up all night with stories about Reavers!"  
  
Even Jayne shuddered at the word, and Zoe turned her attention once again to Inara. "And you?"  
  
"Found her awake when I came out to get tea," Inara confessed. "I let her spend the night with me. She's fine."  
  
"Anybody else's mind just go to a fun place?" said Jayne.  
  
"Not like that," Inara snapped. "Honestly, Jayne..." Then she adopted a sickeningly sweet smile, turned to Buffy and said "Do you have plans for the day? I know you are on restricted cortex access, but if you want to look into alternative travel off of Antigone, I would be happy to supervise a session for you."  
  
"How generous," said Buffy, trading glances with Giles. "But actually, we're still waiting on some information. We might not need to leave this ship at all if it comes through."  
  
Inara looked like she was about to say something when the captain slipped in behind her. "Well, then. Everyone getting along okay?"  
  
"Yes, Captain," Kaylee said.  
  
"Zoe?"  
  
The first mate shrugged. "I guess."  
  
"Shiny. Let's get on with it, then."  
  
Giles pulled her out of the dining area as soon as the others dispersed. "Do you mind telling me what that was about?"  
  
Buffy shrugged. "She cornered me, Giles. Guess she heard everything the captain did. Small ship, word travels fast. And she...just didn't get it, I guess. So I tried to explain it to her, you know, why we were here, why this is so important..."  
  
"I suppose it would be futile of me to hope that perhaps this incident has finally made you see the wisdom behind the 'secret' part of the secret identity concept the council has always futilely encouraged you to understand?"  
  
"Giles, while I am in a spaceship in another dimension tracking down a magic crystal because the council LOST it is probably not the best time to be lecturing me about the wisdom of their policies."  
  
He sighed. "Look, I know this is...well, inter-dimensional travel makes even the best of us a trifle irritable, and it's perfectly understandable if you're feeling..."  
  
"I am feeling like somebody pulled me out of bed at four in the morning to go on a wild goose chase. Giles, I miss my room. I miss my shower. I miss my coffee. Xander's only going to be in town for three days, and now I'm missing that too. I thought...I thought I had put the hellmouth behind me. I thought I had put the stupid council behind me."  
  
"And me? Had you put me behind you also?"  
  
"Oh, Giles!" She blew out an impatient breath. "Do we have to have this conversation right now? Look, you and I are good, you know we are. That's not what this is about! Just...I want to get this done, you know? And I wasn't in the mood to be challenged by a naïve little kid who has no idea what she's talking about."  
  
"That naïve little kid is keeping this spaceship in the sky, Buffy. You might be mindful of just how much sleep you deprive her of. We'd best lie low until we reach Antigone, stick to our quarters as much as possible. Do you feel up to a little research?"  
  
"I should have known there would be some of that. Sure, fine, I'll research."  
  
"Very well. I shall leave Kadaari's diaries in your capable hands while I coordinate efforts on other fronts with our good friend Shepherd Book."  
  
He walked her back to their quarters and left her to her work.  
  
To be continued.  
Chinese translations:  
  
mei-mei (little sister) 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Watcher and slayer did not meet up again until just before lunch. Giles came back to Buffy's room to get her to find that she had abandoned the diaries she was reading and was instead curled up on the thin mattress with the Danielle Steele.  
  
"Having fun?"  
  
She startled, dropped the book and sat up, looking guilty. "Sorry. I...I did get partway through the other thing. I just..." She sprang to her feet and began pacing off some nervous energy. "Just having trouble focusing is all."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"I'm bored, Giles. Who would ever have thought I'd be on an actual spaceship, and be bored? That sounds wrong, doesn't it?"  
  
He tried to follow her busy steps with his eyes, but was still not recovered from the dimension travel. Her pacing was making him dizzy.  
  
"Oh sure, the doc was by earlier," Buffy ranted. "Seemed like a nice guy, asked if there was anything he could do for me. Offered to play a game of poker with me, but the cards were all weird and had pictures of fruit on them. Kadaari, as it turns out, is even more boring a writer than you are, and this room is just...just so small. And the ship, it's just...so...shippy, you know? I keep looking for a window I can crank open for some air or something. It's just so..."  
  
He frowned with renewed critical interest in her state. "Are you certain you're feeling quite all right?"  
  
"No, I'm not, that's what I've been telling you, Giles! I'm just so...so stuck, you know? I need some air. I need to train or something, burn off some of this...some of this being stuck, in here, with you!"  
  
She sat down quickly with a guilty blush. "Sorry. I...I didn't mean that way."  
  
"I know you didn't. Buffy, take some deep breaths, won't you? The dimensional jump can be a draining process, and it's only been a day. I had hoped you would not develop cabin fever quite this early, but I assure you these feelings will pass. We can talk to the captain at lunch, see about getting you access to the cargo deck. I saw some gym equipment there...perhaps we can train some?"  
  
She exhaled, breath still a little shaky. "That would be good."

--

They headed for the kitchen, where most of the crew was already settling down to eat.  
  
"Bout to come looking for you," the captain said.  
  
Giles and Buffy took their seats. "Just finishing up some business," Giles answered.  
  
"Oh? And how is that business progressing?"  
  
"Actually, I have some news in that regard," Book interrupted.  
  
All eyes turned to him. "Oh? Best share it with the rest of us, preacher."  
  
"I had intended to, Captain." To Buffy and Giles, he said "I got a WAVE this morning from the elder I had contacted. He is familiar with your gem."  
  
"And does he know where we might find it?" Giles said.  
  
"In a matter of speaking. He knows...where you might find...well, a part of it."  
  
Buffy frowned. "I don't understand."  
  
"A power like your gem is not a burden the order assumed lightly, and they had some concerns about its potential should it fall into the wrong hands. So they kept the gem in a locked, guarded vault---but they extracted the power from it first, and concealed that in a separate form. To make the gem active, one would in theory collect the two halves and link them up again."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"The order still maintains control over the gem itself, and a contact will be meeting us at Antigone with it. But as to the other half, the one with all the power...well, it would appear that's missing."  
  
Giles closed his eyes, breathing deeply, barely containing his fury. "That gem was entrusted to them for the safekeeping of the universe itself," he said.  
  
"So it's no big," said Buffy. "We just go to where they had it, retrace the steps..."  
  
"I don't think that will be an option," said the shepherd. "The place where they had it was the same academy that had River."  
  
Simon paled. "Captain, we can't!"  
  
"On that, I agree. Mr. Giles, if you be needing to go to that place, it can't be us that takes you, not for all the sacks of gold in the 'verse."  
  
"I'm not sure where I need to go," Giles answered. "I'd best meet the shepherd's contact first."  
  
"We aren't going there," said Simon again, more to his sister than to the rest of them. "River, you don't ever have to go there."  
  
For once, the girl looked calmer than her brother did. "Look into the light," she said.  
  
"Hush, -mei-mei.-'"  
  
"Look into the light. Green light. Shiny. It goes into you."  
  
"I'm here, I'll protect you."  
  
She nodded calmly. "Green. Shiny." Then she picked up her fork and resumed her eating.

--

Back in Buffy's room, Giles was thoughtful. "Does it seem at all coincidental to you that we would land on a ship with a girl who happens to have gone missing from the same place where our power source went missing?"  
  
"No," said Buffy. "Giles, I need to train. I..."  
  
"Light. Green. Shiny. Maybe she's seen it? Maybe, if we talk to her, she'll know where it might have been taken?"  
  
"Giles, the girl is insane. They did things to her, they tortured her. Simon was telling me when he was in here before, they cut into her brain and half the time she doesn't make sense! You can't exactly question her on much of anything."  
  
"Maybe so. But it just seems to me like..."  
  
"Seems to me like if I don't do something, I'm going to go crazy. Giles, did you talk to the captain about me training?"  
  
"Hmmm? Oh, yes. He said it shouldn't be a problem so long as you're supervised. Perhaps we might prevail upon that doctor you've become so friendly with?"  
  
"I hope so. Giles, I have to get out of here," she whined. "Screw laying low, I just can't..."  
  
"Um hmm. Well, if you wish to fret instead of helping me with my research, please do so quietly. Bloody impossible to concentrate with all of the..."  
  
"Well, excuse me if the travelling through space, in another dimension, is wreaking havoc with my body, here! Giles, do you hear how fast my heart is beating?"  
  
"More from anxiety than from anything physical. It's just cabin fever, Buffy. A panic attack. Nothing more."  
  
"Easy for you to say! Does the council actually breed you to be so unflappable? Or was it that special training, like that creepy girl Inara had?"  
  
He put down his book with a resigned sigh. "What on earth are you talking about?"  
  
"Simon was telling me more about that special school they go to. It isn't just meditation, Giles, they learn about human behaviour. How to read people. How to separate their emotions from their jobs..."  
  
"Ah. Is that what this is about?"  
  
"They have their own special council too, did you know that? The guild, they call it. And someone might be living their life and doing their thing, but then the guild comes along and calls them back, and they have to go."  
  
He sighed again. "You know things are different now. The old guard..."  
  
"...are the same people that trained you, are they not? You're telling me you're really not running it the same way they did?"  
  
"I'd like to think I've evolved beyond that."  
  
"I'd like to think so too. But somehow I am not sure disregarding your slayer's feelings and trying to kill the one person who stayed loyal and was working to protect her when everyone else turned against her, is very good evidence of that."  
  
"Good lord, Buffy. How many times must we talk about that? As I explained to you on several occasions, I really did believe I took the action I did regarding Spike for your protection!"  
  
"My protection. Right. Cause I'm just a slayer and I can't protect myself or anything. Cause you and your council who had not even been near the hellmouth in months know better than I did..."  
  
"We don't know anything!" he snapped. "Good god, do you really have no idea? We don't know anything, Buffy. So we research, and we try, and we learn...and we muddle along as best we can hoping we don't screw it up too badly. Do you really think I'm enjoying this that much more than you? Hurtling through the darkness to some strange world to meet a man who might or might not know how to help me fight forces that are far beyond my control? Did you really think that I, with my non-slayer constitution, no less, was having an easier time with this little trip than you?"  
  
That chastened her some. "You aren't feeling well?"  
  
"Of course I'm not. It was four in the morning when I jumped dimensions too, you know, and unlike some people, I've spent my time here actually working. And let me tell you, Buffy, several hours staring at tiny printing in a little dusty book does nothing for a headache that could pulverize a brick and a that stomach feels like it's turning inside out. And to top it all off, I've got you mad at me now!"  
  
He flounced to the bed, and she sat down next to him. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"When Simon comes, I can ask him to give you something for your head."  
  
"Oh, yes. Because strange drugs from another dimension will surely make things so much better."  
  
"I'm trying to be nice here, Giles." She took a shaky breath. "I'm feeling like crap, and I'm not completely sure that underneath it all, I'm not really mad at you. But I'm trying to be nice."  
  
"That's very generous."  
  
"So what do you say you put down that dusty book of yours with all the tiny printing, come to the infirmary and get your headache looked at, then see if we can persuade the charming Dr. Tam to let us into the cargo deck for a little tussle?"  
  
"I say that sounds lovely. Following a short vomit, of course."

--

Simon was looking at some scans on a large display when they made their way to the infirmary. Buffy greeted him with a friendly smile. "Are we interrupting?"  
  
"What? Oh, I was just looking at some of River's scans again. It can wait." He switched off the computer. "Well, this is a surprise."  
  
"No it's not," Buffy said.  
  
"Well, okay, it's not---I do know firsthand how boring laying low on a ship like this can be, but anyway, um, what can I do for you?"  
  
She nodded to Giles. "He's not feeling well."  
  
Simon snapped instantly to doctor mode and kicked out a stool for Giles. "Symptoms?"  
  
Giles obediently sat. "It's not serious. Just a bit of trans-dimensional jet lag---that kind of travel is rough on the system, and I..."  
  
"Yes. I imagine it would be. Rough how, exactly?"  
  
"His head hurts," supplied Buffy helpfully. "You can tell it does because he's so grouchy."  
  
"Will you stop it already?" he snapped. "Buffy, honestly..."  
  
Simon pulled a pen light out of his pocket and shone it in his patient's eyes. Giles pulled back with a violent wince. "Must we?"  
  
"Well, that answers that question," Simon said, switching off the light. "Anything else giving you trouble?"  
  
He looked almost as uncomfortable by the attention as by the pain. "Nothing I can't handle."  
  
"I didn't ask if it was something you can handle, Mr. Giles. I asked if it was there. Buffy?"  
  
"His stomach is bothering him," she said. "Not sure if it hurts or if he's just space-sick or something, but there was...he was sick. Before we came here."  
  
Simon rifled through a small drawer and pulled out a metal device that looked like a tongue depressor which had been adorned with tiny Christmas lights. "Open?"  
  
Giles opened his mouth, and meekly submitted to the exam.  
  
"Well, the good news is you weren't sick enough to get yourself dehydrated just yet," Simon concluded. "But you've got to promise me to keep up your fluids. Space travel can be stressing even in the best of times, and with the...the trans-dimensional stress on top of that, you really must be diligent about taking care of yourself."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"I can give you something for the headache, if you want," Simon said, tweezing a large needle in readiness.  
  
"With that?" Giles squeaked.  
  
"Well, how else would we do it? Pills are expensive, and perishable. A vial is forever. Oh, come on. I may be from another dimension, but I'm still a human. I promise you, this will be safe."  
  
Giles pushed aside the doctor's arm with an irritable grunt. "I'll manage. Thanks."  
  
He stalked out without another word, and Buffy shrugged, then turned to Simon with a bright smile. "So...Giles was going to talk to you about getting me into the cargo deck?"  
  
to be continued...  
  
Chinese translations:  
  
mei-mei (little sister) 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Giles was sulking. He had taken leave of his slayer with the same sort of peevish, immature huff he had criticized her earlier for indulging in. He had foolishly turned down the doctor's medication in a show of macho bravado, and he was paying for it now. His head hurt. A lot. And there was nothing to do about it but try to lie down, fail to feel any better from it, and toss about restlessly waiting for the day to end.  
  
He had almost worked himself into a right and proper snit when the door chime sounded. Thinking it was Buffy come to apologize, he called out a feeble "Yes?"  
  
It was Inara. She was dressed less ornately than when he saw her last, in a slinky but comfortable slip of a dress that for her passed as practical. She carried a tray of tea.  
  
He sat up, half surprised, half wary. "Hello."  
  
"And to you," she said with a slight bow. "I hope you'll pardon my intrusion, but I heard you were under the weather and thought perhaps you might enjoy some tea." She poured him a mug. "Here, drink this."  
  
He made no move toward the offering, and she pressed it forward with a smile, but an insistent one. "If you let yourself get dehydrated, you'll never hear the end of it from Simon, or from Buffy. Drink the tea."  
  
He took a sip. "Thank you."  
  
"Are you feeling very bad?"  
  
"Yes. I...look, I'm afraid I shan't be pleasant company. I don't mean to be rude, but..."  
  
"Yes, yes, you are far from home, out of sorts and you've turned away the only ministrations offered to you. You are in a pitiable state, I'm sure."  
  
He took another sip of tea. "Well, don't sound TOO convinced..."  
  
"Oh, I am not convinced at all. Confused, perhaps, at why you'd choose to suffer so, but convinced? Hardly."  
  
"Why I would 'choose?' Look, did they explain to you about the trans-dimensional travel? It's quite taxing on the system to..."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure. But I am sure too that it is not quite that simple. I might not know much about dimensional travel, but I do know how to read people and I can tell you with 100 certainty that trans-dimensional jet lag is not your problem."  
  
"Oh? What is, then?"  
  
"Well, I could say the stress of your little assignment, fate of thousands resting in the balance, that sort of thing. But I was led to believe you have dealt with that before. So my second guess would be some troubles with your young friend."  
  
He slammed the mug down with a peevish scowl. "Don't be ridiculous."  
  
"Oh, I'm not, I assure you. It's here before my eyes. I can identify, off-hand, 59 muscles in your body that are tensed right now. And those are just muscles that I can see. No wonder you have a headache!"  
  
He closed his eyes, counted to three, and consciously willed his body to relax. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"That's a start," she said. "Now, do it again. Close your eyes, count to three and breathe. Better...now, keep them closed..."  
  
He felt the press of fingers against his temples, and startled away from her. "I thought you didn't service passengers?"  
  
"Don't flatter yourself. This is just a friendly gesture. Now, close your eyes again, and we're going to play a little game..."  
  
She moved her fingers across the base of his skull in gentle, rhythmic massage, stopping at the pressure points, kneading her fingers into them. "Deep breaths, Rupert. Now, the game. It's a little exercise called 'anywhere but here.' Deep breaths. Now---I want you to picture in your mind a place where you feel safe and comfortable. Draw the lines, the textures, the it in, and breathe. Are you there?"  
  
His back unknotted beneath her touch. "Yes..."  
  
"Describe it to me. Breathe...now tell me what you see..."  
  
"I'm at the fair grounds. The ones near my boyhood home. A wide expanse of grass, a plain fence around it. There is a gap in the fence half a mile up the road from where the busses dropped me off."  
  
Smooth, even circles on his skull. "And where are you?"  
  
"On the side of the fence I shouldn't be on. But it's all right. The fair isn't open yet. It's night, and everyone is sleeping. I'm all alone, under the stars, the animals around me. So peaceful..."  
  
"I'll bet. Is anyone there with you?"  
  
He suddenly tensed again. "No."  
  
"Your boyhood friends?"  
  
"Their parents were more watchful than mine."  
  
"Your adult friends? Buffy, perhaps?"  
  
He broke away from her. "No!"  
  
"Ah." She smiled serenely. "So you did quarrel."  
  
"Yes. And?"  
  
"And you've tensed up again, so it must be on your mind."  
  
"It isn't."  
  
"Well, that's a lovely little dream image you had. Though kind of an odd safe place for someone who comes from a world where monsters really do come out of the shadows. You didn't want your soldier out there in the darkness with you?"  
  
He shrugged, trying to resume the rhythm of his breathing.  
  
"If it were me, it would be a comfort to have her there. There is a strength in you, no doubt about her, but in her there is a destiny."  
  
He arched an eye. "And what would you know about destiny?"  
  
"Perhaps more than you think. But then, I am not one who finds my destiny a burden."  
  
She caught the flicker of a wince behind his eyes. "Ah. I hit a sore spot, didn't I? Lie back..."  
  
He felt the wrap of her fingers on his head again, the gentle flow of massage.  
  
"So do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"No," he said.  
  
She moved to the next pressure point, pressed and waited for his yelp of pain. "Are you sure?"  
  
He closed his eyes, submitting. "We did quarrel."  
  
"About?"  
  
"About a time...fate of the world hanging in the balance, that sort of thing. I made a decision. And she hasn't forgiven me for it."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"It's that burden of destiny you spoke of. Hers was to be the slayer. Mine was to be the watcher. But to watch, and not act upon what I see..."  
  
"That was a burden you were not prepared for?"  
  
"That was a burden I could not abide."  
  
"And she could not abide it either?"  
  
"Not from me."  
  
He winced as she hit the next pressure point. "There is a council," he said. "A council I was part of. A council even I saw the folly of wholeheartedly supporting. She has some bad associations with them---times they tried to meddle, got in her way, failed to understand...I make one decision, and she lumps me in with the rest of them..."  
  
"Was it the right decision?"  
  
"I thought so at the time. But ultimately, no."  
  
"And did you tell her so?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That you were wrong. Did you tell her?"  
  
"I tried...".  
  
Inara gently eased his head back onto the pillow. "So you'll tell her," she said. "Or you'll find some other way to work it through. But that is for later. For now, you should get some sleep..."  
  
To his surprise, he was able to comply with that. Meddlesome woman. Magic fingers.  
  
to be continued... 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Buffy was halfway through her first set before she was aware of having an audience. Simon had helped her set up the heavy bag, then kept out of her way for the most part. Kaylee, however, was a much more attentive spectator.  
  
"She sure moves fast, don't she?" the young mechanic observed, stepping in beside Simon.  
  
"Yes," he said. He craned his neck over her head to get a better view. "She told me she has superior agility and reflexes. Didn't quite know what that meant until now."  
  
"Do you think it was Mr. Giles who trained her to be that way?"  
  
"If so, he did an excellent job. She...oh. Oh. Buffy, are you okay?"  
  
Buffy had let herself get distracted, and the bag had hit her side on the rebound.  
  
"Slayer healing," she winced, accepting the towel he offered. "Probably won't even bruise..."  
  
He moved a hand toward her side, waiting for the nod of permission before he lifted up the corner of her top. Gently, he palpated the ribs and felt for injury.  
  
"Looks okay," he said.  
  
"Told you. Look, it's fine, really. Just let me finish my set, then I'll stop..."  
  
From the infirmary, he heard a noise, then a loudly shouted "Simon!"  
  
He winced. "I'd better check on River. Kaylee, can you keep an eye on her until she's done? The captain doesn't want her in here unsupervised."  
  
"Oh yeah," Kaylee said. "I bet he wouldn't."  
  
The sudden mood was lost on Simon, but it was not lost on Buffy, who abandoned the rest of her set, keeping pace with some light jogging as she eyed the young mechanic.  
  
"Everything okay?" she asked when they were alone.  
  
The girl blushed, looking down at her feet. "You two sure seem cozy."  
  
"Who, me and Simon? Yeah, he's been really friendly, which is kinda nice what with the rest of you being all..." Suddenly, Buffy realized. "Oh. You mean friendly THAT way! Kaylee, no! It isn't like that!"  
  
Kaylee met her gaze, features achingly hopeful. "It ain't?"  
  
"No! Oh no, sweetie, no, not at all! Just that he kinda understands...you know, being in a place like this, not really belonging..."  
  
"Oh yes," said Kaylee. "Simon is VERY understanding."  
  
"Uh huh. But in a totally innocent platonic way."  
  
"So...so you don't got designs on him, then?"  
  
"Gosh, no. I mean, he's sweet, don't get me wrong. But it's MY world I need to be worrying about, not yours."  
  
That answer seemed to satisfy the young mechanic. She moved to leave, then turned back. "Buffy?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"All that friendly time you've been having...he spend any of it saying anything about me?"  
  
Buffy patted her arm with a friendly smile. "I'll see what I can do."  
  
Then the klaxon sounded.  
  
--  
  
Buffy and Kaylee, on instinct, grabbed hands. "What do we do?" Buffy said.  
  
"The mess," Kaylee said. "Cap'll probably want to brief us..."  
  
They hurried down the corridor and up the little ladder to find the others gathering, as Kaylee had predicted. Giles was half-curled up on one of the chairs, head in his hands.  
  
Buffy knelt down beside him. "You okay?"  
  
"Bloody siren."  
  
"Uh huh. Want Simon to get you that medicine now?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Buffy looked up to find Inara already nodding and fleeing down-ship to pass along the message. The captain, Zoe and Wash arrived at that moment and assessed the gathered group.  
  
"Inara and the doc?"  
  
"On their way," Jayne said. He had his gun in his lap, as he always did, hand wrapped around it for comfort.  
  
"Well, this can't wait. Wash?"  
  
The pilot nodded. "Reavers."  
  
Shepherd Book closed his eyes very briefly, then muttered something in Chinese. Zoe moved inward toward Kaylee, who liked like she was about to pass out.  
  
"How close?" asked Jayne.  
  
"Close enough they've marked us, I'd bet a tidy little sum on that."  
  
"Can we outrun them?"  
  
"They'll follow."  
  
"So are we going to fight them?" Buffy asked.  
  
"We're a transport ship, we don't got cannons, Miss."  
  
"Didn't ask are we going to shoot them, Captain. Asked if we were going to fight them." She turned to Giles. "You said they're just like vampires, right?"  
  
He looked suddenly thoughtful. "For the most part..."  
  
"So we fight 'em," Buffy said.  
  
"I don't think you understand," piped up Zoe. "This is a ship full of Reavers we're talking about."  
  
"Yeah, I got that."  
  
"Reavers," Zoe repeated.  
  
"Uh huh. Look, Zoe, I appreciate that you guys are wigged, really, I do. But trust me, I can handle this. I actually HAVE handled it. Many, many times."  
  
"Nobody 'handles' Reavers," said Jayne. "Don't know anyone I ever heard of fight 'em and live. Not sure even Vera'd make me feel safe in a fight that stacked."  
  
"Vera? Oh, right, your gun, Simon told me. Well, of course THAT won't work. Don't you guys know anything about these things?"  
  
"We know that Reavers are dangerous," said Wash.  
  
"And scary," added Kaylee. "They been in space too long. Makes 'em crazy."  
  
"You know, that's actually kind of a clever cover story," Buffy observed to Giles. To the others, she explained "They can't handle sunlight."  
  
"Well, we ain't got none of that out here," the captain said.  
  
"I know, which is exactly why they probably live where they do. What safer place would there be for them than cold, dark space? Besides sunlight, the only other way to kill a thing like that is fire, beheading and stake through the heart."  
  
She eyed the assembled group, already formulating a battle plan. "So are you guys all guns or can any of you handle hand-to-hand?"  
  
"Now wait just a second," the Captain Reynolds interrupted. "We can outrun 'em. Maybe. And..."  
  
"And miss our rendez-vous with the shepherd's contact? I don't think so."  
  
"Our lives are more important than your little meeting," snapped Jayne.  
  
"I agree. That's why I won't let them kill you. So we run, and? They catch up to us---now, or later. They can't go forever without feeding. If they know you're out here, they'll come back for you."  
  
"Feeding?" Kaylee whimpered.  
  
"Look, it won't happen. How many va---Reavers you think we'd be dealing with here?"  
  
Wash shrugged. "Ship our size could hold 20 or more. Don't think they're much bigger, or they would have shown up on our radar sooner."  
  
"So, 20 of them. Giles?"  
  
"You have handled worse. Not often, mind you. But..."  
  
"But it's do-able? With you beside me?"  
  
He shrugged.  
  
She turned to the captain. "We can train your crew. Train them to fight---the right way. We don't go in until I say we're ALL ready to go in."  
  
He looked doubtful.  
  
"And I'll double our fare if you get us to our rendez-vous in time. We can do that, can't we, Giles?"  
  
He shrugged again. "Double, triple...name your price. It can be arranged."  
  
"Well," the captain said, breaking into a slow grin. "I got me some experience with swords..."  
  
"No, you don't," said Zoe. She turned to Buffy. "Can you teach us?"  
  
"Of course. You think you can get a schematic of their ship?"  
  
"Sure," Wash said. "When they get close enough..."  
  
"Do it." She gently put her hand on Kaylee's arm. "If we handle the beheading and staking part, you think if you got your hands on their engines you could make me some fire?"  
  
Kaylee paled, swallowed, then nodded bravely. Buffy took her hand away, chest clenching with a weight of responsibility she had not felt since Sunnydale. Jayne, Zoe and the captain were probably trainable. But Kaylee...she flashed guiltily back to their chat that first night, to the teary confession of the girl's worst nightmare. A ship full of Reavers. And she had to go in there, and face them, and come out alive. It was happening now...  
  
But Kaylee would not be the only one facing her greatest nightmare. For Buffy, there was nothing more terrifying than willfully conscripting innocents for a battle. Their lives were in her hands.  
  
--  
  
to be continued... 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
--  
  
They retreated to the cargo deck after a sober, silent dinner to get themselves ready. Food, and medical treatment from Simon, had restored her watcher to almost normal. Now, he was getting himself into some body armor while Buffy assessed their stash of weapons. Zoe, Jayne and the captain were her best bets, fighter-wise. That made four, including herself---two for the distraction, to keep the vamps at bay while Kaylee did her booby trap in the engine room, and two to cover the young mechanic and get her in there in the first place. Zoe and Mal looked like they could handle hand-to-hand, but Jayne, with his love of guns, might be better on the cross-bow. And Giles---she still wasn't sure which team she wanted him on. Part of her was saying with her, as she would be facing more vamps than the other group. But would Kaylee's team be okay on their own, without a Sunnydale-trained tour guide?  
  
She faced the row of them, Giles beside her. "This will be a different kind of fighting than you're used to," she said. "You're using small weapons here and aiming for direct contact---to the heart. So let's try it---Jayne, you first. Come at me, and take your best shot."  
  
He picked up the stake, gripping it awkwardly. "How come you ain't wearing armor like he is?"  
  
"Because I have better reflexes than he does. Better than any of you, actually. Come on., it's okay. You won't hurt me..."  
  
He looked briefly doubtful, then lunged. She caught his wrist mere inches from her chest, flipped him underneath her, and had him pinned, stake flipped back toward him.  
  
"Told ya I had good reflexes," she grinned. "You have to move faster than that. Zoe, you want to try?"  
  
She had learned from Jayne's attempt and moved fast, ducking and weaving. The little display with Jayne had clearly impressed them, and Zoe moved deftly, not underestimating, as Jayne had, what she was up against. Once Buffy had handily disarmed her, she tried again with the captain, and then with Kaylee---who seemed to have more trouble than the rest of them putting her nerves aside.  
  
"Okay," she said. "Good first try, everyone, and before you get down on yourselves, remember that I have super-powers and I wasn't really expecting any of you to beat me. These Reavers will be strong, so you'll have to get better---but most of you didn't do badly at all for a first try. Take a few minutes, practice on the dummy over there, then when you feel ready, go to Giles. He'll be an easier mark than I will, but he's tough enough to take you guys up a notch."  
  
They began dispersing, and Buffy gently pulled Kaylee aside. "You want to work with me for a bit?"  
  
Kaylee shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again, eyes tearing. "I'm sorry, Buffy, I'm real sorry. I'm not no account of a fighter. I...I get scared, then I can't do it right."  
  
"Uh huh. Look, Kaylee, I'm not expecting you to be a warrior here. You understand that you'll have cover in there, right? I go in, I distract them, get 'em out of your way---then Zoe and the captain, maybe Giles too---they cover you. All you have to worry about is the engines."  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"That said---I do want to feel like you can handle yourself a little better than you are. And I want to work with you on that. Okay?"  
  
The young mechanic's face was tight with conflict. She clearly wanted to agree, wanted to say what she thought they wanted her to say. But if her heart wasn't it...  
  
"Look, you aren't the first plan old human I've worked with," she said, trying another tack. "I've got friends who are just regular people, like you, and they've won their share of fights..."  
  
"With Reavers?"  
  
"Well, we call them something else where I'm from. But yes, with Reavers. Look, it's all in your head. I know you're scared. But you just need to find your inner tough girl..."  
  
"What if...what if I don't have an inner tough girl?"  
  
"Awww. Everyone has an inner tough girl, Kaylee. You just need to find out...what sets her off..."  
  
She moved away for a second, slayer senses picking up an interloper. Simon and his sister had arrived to watch the training, and Buffy was struck by a sudden idea.  
  
"Try again, Kaylee," she said, raising her guard.  
  
The attack was weak and half-hearted, and Kaylee ended it pinned to the ground, lower lip trembling with the onslaught of tears. Buffy moved fast, snatching River from the shadows, pinning her in a rough but harmless head-lock. She locked hard eyes with Kaylee. "Again!"  
  
Kaylee jumped dazedly to her feet, head spinning back and forth between Buffy's cold, warrior gaze and River's innocent, uncomprehending expression...  
  
She tensed. She jumped. And there was power in her attack that time. Buffy let River go, then helped Kaylee to her feet. "Better," she said with an approving nod. "Not quite there yet. But better..."  
  
She turned to River, who was stoically enduring a fuss-over from Simon, and said "Sorry about that."  
  
River shrugged. "I was waiting. I saw it in my dreams."  
  
"Um... okay..."  
  
"I like Kaylee. Don't let her die."  
  
You and me both, thought Buffy. She gave her a smile, then turned her attention back to her student, readying her for the fight of her life.  
  
--  
  
Later, she retreated to her cabin. Giles had gone to bed---in his already questionable state, the training session had exhausted him. The others---she wasn't sure where they were. She had heard Zoe and Jayne mention plans to toast Kaylee's "inter-engine fermentation system," which she assumed referred to some sort of space moonshine. She was not sure what the mechanic herself was up to, but as long as it wasn't anywhere near her, she was happy. She liked the girl---but maybe a bit too much. The last picture she wanted in her mind as she drifted off to sleep was that innocent face, the fangs of a vampire sticking into it.  
  
Her door chime sounded, and with a sigh, she kicked off the blanket and went to answer. It was Simon. She greeted him with a shy smile.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey, just thought I'd check in with you and see how you were feeling. That's quite a workout you put yourself through today."  
  
"I've had worse."  
  
"Maybe so. But that doesn't mean you're not ever allowed to feel the lesser wounds..."  
  
She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Look, I'm really sorry about the whole using your sister as bait thing. I..."  
  
"You wanted to help Kaylee. River explained it to me."  
  
"She...she did?"  
  
"She has...-diyu- this is going to sound crazy..."  
  
"I am a superhero from another dimension come to borrow your spaceship to track down my magic crystal."  
  
"Okay, maybe not that crazy. River...River knows things. She...before things happen, she's..."  
  
"She's psychic. Got it. So?"  
  
"So, that's...well, it's...it doesn't freak you out a little?"  
  
"Super-powers. Spaceship. Magic crystal."  
  
"Oh. Well, I don't mind saying it does freak ME out! She...she wasn't always this way. And sometimes...I think she's getting better. I think I'm helping her. And then a stranger comes on board and she starts talking about green lights and seeing things and finding the monsters, and she doesn't seem the least bit alarmed when she's grabbed into a head-lock by a girl twice as strong..."  
  
"God, Simon, I'm sorry about that. I would never have hurt River, I swear. I just...she was there, you know? And I thought...well, it's the same thing you did, saving her, isn't it? You can be too scared to fight for yourself, but for someone else..."  
  
"You'd give up anything?"  
  
She exhaled. "Yes. You'd give up the anything."  
  
He studied her curiously. "Why do I get the feeling you're speaking from experience here?"  
  
"Because I am. Simon, you aren't the only one with a sister who's special."  
  
"And...and for yours? Just how far did you go?"  
  
"I went all the way. I died, Simon. To save my sister, I died."  
  
He stepped away from her, clearly floored. "But that's...I have never heard anything like... Buffy, that's..."  
  
"That's not as painless, or as selfless as it might seem, and I'd really rather not go there. Simon, you and I---we can't. You know that, right?"  
  
"I..."  
  
"You---you need to remember which girl had your sister pinned, and which jumped in to save her. I have a mission here, Simon. I have to get to Antigone, I have to meet the shepherd's contact and I have to get that gem. If I have to use River again---to save my world, to save my sister---I'll do it."  
  
"I know. I understand."  
  
"Do you? Do you have movies is this dimension, Simon? Stories? Legends?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Space stories are really popular where I'm from, and my friend Xander is quite a fan. I've seen my share of them, and okay, the reality is a bit different than what I imagined, but not by much. You get brained by a speck of space dust when you're detouring through an asteroid belt, and you lose a chunk of hull. Or a tiny gear in your massive, massive engine stops turning and the whole thing goes kablooey. There are a hundred ways to die. And that's not even counting the "hero concocts hair-brained suicide mission against overwhelming odds" ones. Do you know what happens in those? Somebody dies, Simon. Not everybody, not every time. But somebody."  
  
His voice took on a harder edge. "And? What are you trying to tell me, Buffy?"  
  
"I'm trying to tell you that the Reavers are less than a day away. And if you want to give that girl something to really fight for, you'll tell her how you feel about her. You'll tell her that when she does come out of that Reaver ship---alive---you'll be waiting."  
  
He moved to leave, then turned back for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Buffy? What is her name?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Your sister, the one you died to save...what is her name?"  
  
She returned his smile. "Dawn. Her name is Dawn."  
  
He nodded. "A good name. A...a hopeful name, isn't it?"  
  
"Good night, Simon."  
  
He was on his way. And it was mere minutes after that her words sunk into her own brain, and she was rooting on the floor for her shoes. Simon wasn't the only one who had unfinished business with someone on this ship. She had to talk to Giles.  
  
--  
  
to be continued...  
  
Chinese translation:  
  
diyu (hell) 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

--

It was night, even in space, and the ship was empty, low-lit and echoing with that hollow-sounding quiet of sleep. Giles had not been in his bed, and with the security restrictions the two of them were under, there were only so many places he could be. She found him in the lounge area of the common space, curled up with a blanket on one of the couches.

"Hey." She sat down beside him. "Something wrong with your bed?"

He blushed, then shrugged. "Simon gave me another shot. Said it might make knock me out a little. Thought I would have time to move before that happened."

Her finger briefly brushed against his clammy hand. "And you thought wrong? Giles, are you...are you okay? Really?"

"Okay enough."

She nodded, bit her lip, looked at him again. "Just...Wash says the vamps---Reavers---are, like, a day away. And---I'll need you in there."

"For god's sake, Buffy, it does wear off..."

"But...you're..."

"I'm a little medicated, a little sleep-deprived, and a little space-sick---all of which will be handily cured by a solid night's rest."

"So, when we're..."

"I'll be ready." He rolled back, closed his eyes. "Was that all?"

"Actually, no. Giles, I...well, I wanted to talk. It's...well, it's been awhile since we faced a big battle together, and the last one was not exactly our finest hour. I thought...maybe we shouldn't go into the next one with all the baggage in our heads?"

He eyed her warily. "Okay..."

"And I had some things I wanted to say to you. And maybe you had some things you wanted to say to me..."

"I know what you have to say. You've said it all already, and I've said my piece long ago. What else is there to..."

"Giles, what we've done isn't talking. It's...god, what a pair we make! I sulk, you repress. I snit, you shut down. I move to Rome, you move to London...Giles, can't we just SAY it? Get it all out into the open, once and for all?"

He looked almost as afraid as she was. "I can't, Buffy. I...I don't know how."

"Just say it, Giles! Whatever it is you aren't telling me, just SAY it! Tell me you thought I was selfish. Tell me you thought I was stupid. Tell me that I screwed it all up and got our homes sucked into a crater while girls died around me!"

His anxiety turned to surprise. "Is that really how you think I feel?"

"Well, don't you? Why else would you...ohhh! It's not fair, I didn't ask for any of this! You were the one who left ME, remember? You left me, and I did the best I could, and then you come back and you don't like the choices I made? Well, tough luck! But what right does that give you to...I never asked..."

"You never asked to die? You never asked to live?"

"Giles..."

"You complain so often that the slayer is alone. But we try to get close to you, and you push us away. And then you blame me because I can't operate under those conditions?"

"Those conditions? You're going to make this about ME? Giles, you abandoned me. You betrayed me! You were supposed to be there for me, and..."

"And you were supposed to be there for ME!" he exploded. "Good god, Buffy, have you really been missing that part of the equation this entire time? The watcher is supposed to be the slayer's partner, not her doormat! It was never meant to only go one way..."

She bit her lip, not sure if she should feel angry or guilty. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing. Everything. I...just get tired of having it from you too, Buffy. All my life I was trained to base my choices on knowledge, on facts, on information. To be deprived of that---well, what else did I have to base my actions on?"

"On experience? On relationships? On feelings?"

"I tried that, Buffy. And where did it get me? You thought they had you backed into a corner---fate, the universe, destiny...I see it. I know you were hurting, and I know you reached for solace in the only places you thought you could find it. I just wish you had been able to show me...look, I'm not saying I could have changed things. I'm not saying I wouldn't have still made mistakes that might have hurt you. But the other way...shuffled off by the council from city to city to pick up girls and bodies, then finally fighting my way to you only to be shut out yet again and left to decide the fate of the world based on shadowy figments of information I stole from the council when THEY wouldn't share, and half-apocryphal legends Anya remembered from her demon days....and you blame only me for the outcome?"

Her skin crawled at the idea that she had anything in common with the council. But seeing it laid out that way...she had shut him out, just as they had. She had...she had failed to get over her first impression of him as a meddling, parental presence. And worst of all, she had lumped him in with the rest of them when all this time, he had been trying to help her...

She sighed, sat back, then leaned forward again and took his hand. "I'm sorry."

He blinked wordlessly, hand twitching. "Very well."

"Look, we did need to have this chat. I'm glad we did. And Giles, I want to say...I really am sorry. Guess I didn't do quite as much growing up in the past couple years as I thought I did, and you know, you deserve a better friend than the one I have been to you. You know what I think? We've both hurt each other. We've both made...well, if not mistakes, than at least bad judgement calls. So we call it even. We put the past behind us. And we move forward not as watcher and slayer, but as equals. As friends, real friends."

He smiled. "I'd like that."

"So...bed?"

"Let's just stay here for a minute longer..."

She leaned back, relaxed into his arms, and within seconds they were both asleep.

--

They awoke the next morning still entwined on the couches, a circle of amused faces peering down at them.

"Well, ain't this a sight," Captain Reynolds smirked.

"I see you took my advice," Simon and Inara both said. They blushed and traded glances.

"I said they should talk," said Inara.

"I said they should sleep," said Simon.

"We did both," Buffy reported, disentangling herself from Giles and rising to her feet. "Now, I say we eat, go over our plan again, then kick some Reaver butt."

Simon knelt closer, giving Giles a solemn once-over. "Feeling better?"

Giles stretched, then nodded briskly. "Little breakfast, and I'll be good as new."

Inara was already making a plate for him in the kitchen area, and at a glare from Simon, handed one to Buffy too. Buffy accepted the food with a grateful nod. "So are we close enough to get a floor plan on that Reaver ship yet?"

"Wash is working on it," Zoe said. "Tricky work, flying close enough to mark 'em but not so close we get caught."

"Well, I don't want to wear anybody out when we have a battle coming up, but I wouldn't hate doing another drill on the hand-to-hand stuff while we wait. Some of you are a bit too gun-accustomed, and that won't..."

Jayne grunted and reached over Buffy for the food. "Now, don't go knocking Vera," he said. "Ain't never been in no fight a gal like her couldn't hold her own."

"Well, you are about to have one," said Buffy, soberly meeting his gaze. "And I won't have you getting yourself killed in it---not while I'm in charge. Did you practice with the stake I gave you?"

Jayne and the captain traded glances, then Jayne blushed and drawled "Yeah..."

Buffy suspected there was a story there she did not want to know. She pasted on a bright smile. "Great! You and Zoe, head to the cargo deck with Giles when you're done with breakfast. Show him your stuff."

"And me?" Captain Reynolds asked.

"You wait here with Kaylee and me until we have our plan, then we go over it."

They finished their breakfast, then the group dispersed.

--

Buffy, Kaylee and the captain sat at the kitchen table, staring at each other. The captain tapped his foot on the floor. Kaylee picked at a nail, trying hard not to look like she was about to cry.

"Look, there will be four of them," Buffy said after a moment. "Giles, Jayne, Zoe and the captain. Two with you, two with me..."

"Uh huh."

"You can have your pick WHICH two...I'd like one of them to be Giles just cause he's fought this kind of fight before. But you can pick the other..."

"The captain," Kaylee said at once.

"Okay. So he'll protect you, and you'll be fine."

"Uh huh."

"And if something goes wrong...you'll do what I told you to do, and you'll protect yourself. Or else you'll die. Then the Reavers will board the ship and everyone else---Wash, Inara, Simon, River---they'll die too."

Kaylee's watery eyes almost spilled over. "That's a terrible thing to say!"

"It's working though, isn't it? Your hands are steadying, and your body is tensing up. You can fight now. And if you need a little creative visualization to get yourself there...well, you'd better do it now, before we go in. I don't want you to die, Kaylee."

"I don't neither."

"Okay. So you trust me?"

Kaylee took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

Wash stuck his head down the ladder. "Mal?"

The captain gave them a slight nod then retreated onto the bridge with his pilot, leaving the girls alone.

--

Kaylee drummed her fingers on the table. "So you talked to him, then?"

Buffy looked up in surprise. "Who, Simon?"

"No, not him, Mr. Giles. Don't mean to pry, just...looked like you needed to talk to him is all."

Buffy blew out a breath, then sighed. "Yeah. I did."

"Know the feeling," Kaylee said. "Me and Simon..."

"Oh, yeah? He and you finally had the talk?"

"Last night," Kaylee confirmed. "Asked me to the infirmary, had some tea waiting. And chocolate..."

"Yeah?" said Buffy. "And?"

"And he told me...told me he didn't know, til you came, how much he needed...me!" The young mechanic could barely keep the pride out of her voice. "I mean, he could go back with you, right? Take River and just go back, to that other world you're from, where there ain't no Alliance ships chasing after him...he could go back with you, but he ain't gonna, cause Serenity's his home..."

"That's nice," Buffy smiled. "Well, except for the fugitive part. But then, there are dangers on my world too..."

"Uh huh. So you ride 'em out, whatever they are, with them that matters to you. Right?"

Buffy leaned closer. "So you understand why I'm doing this, then."

"Oh, I understood it before," Kaylee grinned. "Just glad you're going into it with a level head is all."

Then the klaxon sounded, and the lounge began to fill with people.

"Reavers!" Captain Reynolds shouted. "ETA five minutes..."

"But the run-through..."

"No time. Wash is hiding us behind a gas cloud...we'll be on board before they notice, but not by long. I've got the civilians stashed with Inara in case of...accidents..."

"There won't be any accidents."

"Okay, then. Shall we?"

Buffy took a deep breath, rallying the troops. "Okay, we suit up, sneak in from the outside. Team 1, that's me, with Zoe and Jayne. We're going for whichever entry point gets us noticed by the biggest crowd. Team 2, that's the captain and Giles, you take Kaylee in the back way and cover her to the engine room. I am assuming she knows what to do once she gets there?"

"I do," Kaylee said.

"Well," said Buffy. "Let's do it."

--

The Reaver ship was almost twice the size of Serenity, but with a vastly inferior layout. Inside, it was all tall ceilings and broad hallways and tiny, dirty rooms. The bridge area was large, ostentatious, befitting the ego of a vampire. Buffy guessed most of them would be there. She let Zoe and Jayne handle the breaking in part, sneaking them through a jimmied access hatch just off the main hub.

"We're in," she whispered into the walkie-talkie-like communicator she had been outfitted with aboard Serenity. Then, louder, she called out "Hello? Anybody home?"

The dust started flying.

--

Giles made his way through the corridor, stake-hand tensed at his side, the captain and Kaylee inching along the wall beside him.

"Stay low, stay quiet, stay calm," he whispered. "If you panic, they'll smell it."

"Great," muttered Kaylee. "Weren't scary enough without knowing that..."

She flattened her back against the wall as she made out one of the creatures passing through a bisecting corridor. It was jogging briskly and did not double back at their scent---it appeared Buffy's diversion was indeed diverting, and they made it to the engine room without incident. Kaylee set to work on her engine sabotage, the concentration on her task calming her. But the first wire she pulled set off an alarm---the Reavers must have seen them coming after all...

Kaylee froze, and Giles knelt down beside her, a hand on her arm. "Keep going," he hissed. "We'll cover you..."

She nodded grimly, kept her eyes on her hands, and uttered a silent prayer as the screaming floated around her.

--

"Giles" Buffy hit the communicator's mouthpiece, leaving the channel open. "We've got about a dozen in here...not sure how many that leaves coming after you..."

"About four," he shouted, straining to be heard over an obvious din. "Can't talk now..."

Two vamps snaked out from the corner. She debated going after them, then watched Zoe get cornered by two others. She arched under a chair, weaving her way to the rescue. She caught Jayne's eye and nodded to the exit, the message clear---get defensive, not offensive. Cover the door and don't let any others escape. Let her handle thinning the herd, just keep the herd where she could get to them. She dusted the two on Zoe, noted with a wince a trickle of blood on her neck, then ducked behind the chair again to plan her next move.

--

"Reinforcements!" Captain Reynolds called.

Giles was locked in a struggle with one of the new arrivals, but he gingerly inclined his head toward Kaylee, who was crouched almost directly underneath the ship's engine, out of the line of fire.

"How long?" he called.

"One minute...just let me cross the last of the..."

"Quickly!" he yelled, finally getting his stake wedged in the vampire's heart. His attacker collapsed into a satisfying pile of dust, and he lunged for the next one, not even counting how many were left.

"Okay!" screeched Kaylee. "Out! Now!"

He ran, grabbing her hand and hauling her after him.

"How long?" he wondered, looking behind him at the pursuing vamps.

"Bout 6 minutes til it blows. Won't catch us for 10 if we run fast."

"And Buffy? The others?"

"They'd best clear out as fast as they...Captain!"

She let go of his hand and reached out as the captain limped---heavily---toward them.

"Dn't reckon I got much running in me," he sheepishly admitted.

Giles let the man wrap his arm around them, then steered the civilians in the opposite direction.

"The exit?" asked Kaylee.

Giles shook his head. "The bridge is closer, and I can't carry him far. But Buffy can. We'll get out faster if we find her..."

"But the bridge...where the MORE Reavers are..."

He shook his head impatiently, one eye on the captain and the other on their backs. They were not being followed---he hoped that did not mean the few stragglers had joined their comrades on the bridge. He had civilians with him. He did not want them ambushed by the battle they had just abandoned.

--

"Retreat!" Buffy shouted, Giles' update ringing in her ears. "Giles, stay where you are, we'll meet you!"

"You guys okay?" she asked her team.

Zoe's neck had already stopped bleeding, and she seemed more concerned with the ominously regrouping Reavers. "Can we outrun them?"

"Might not have to." She pressed the button on her mouthpiece. "Wash? We've got injured. You ready with Plan B?"

"Yup," came the reply. "You guys okay?"

"Minor stuff. Time is of the essence here...how long do you..."

"On your mark, Buffy. Say when..."

She pulled on Zoe and Jayne, tugging them along for a final sprint into the corridor, nearly bumping into Giles and the badly limping Captain Reynolds.

"Now," she shouted to the team on Serenity. And to the team with her, she shouted "Duck!"

As the vamps---the Reavers---finally started closing in around them, the hull exploded in a bomb of debris. A large wrecking ball swooped over them, propelled by Serenity's shuttle, which perched in the gaping maw of the Reaver ship, doors open. Buffy and Giles dragged the others with them onto the safety of the shuttle, leaving the demons to burn on their dying ship.

--

When the shuttle was back on Serenity, they gathered in the infirmary to see to the injured, and debrief. Wash---still pulling off the spacesuit he had worn to fly the shuttle with its door open---fussed adorably over Zoe while Simon tended the captain's ankle.

"You're fine," the doctor finally pronounced. "Keep off it, if you can. But you'll heal. You too," he told Zoe. "Just a flesh wound..."

Zoe touched her neck. "Figured as much. Are Kaylee and Jayne okay?"

"Both fine, and in the kitchen regaling Inara and Book with their big adventure. I think Kaylee was under the engine, and out of the way, for most of it."

"Thanks heavens for small favors," Buffy muttered. Then, louder, she said "Zoe and Jayne got in a few good hits. Between us, we took out about a dozen, and Kaylee's booby trap should finish off the rest..."

"Speaking of," Wash's voice came over the intercom. She's about to blow..."

From the rear view port, they watched as the last of the Reaver ship went up in flames.

"Well," said Buffy, smiling brightly at the tattered crew. "They won't be bothering us anymore. So how long til we get to Antigone?"

--

The rest of their trip proved uneventful. At Antigone, they landed the ship on a small clearing half a miile from town.

"Badger's fella is meeting us," the captain said. "Be awhile getting it all unloaded, so you folks take your time..."

Shepherd Book accompanied them to meet their contact, who was waiting for them at a local watering hole. He was instantly recognizable from his outfit, which matched the one Book wore, and he greeted his associate like an old friend.

"Long time, no see, colleague."

"And you," Book smiled. "Mr. Giles. Miss Summers." He nodded to them in turn, and they joined him at the table.

"So would you care for a drink?" Moore asked.

"I'd really like to get this done, actually," Buffy said. "Not that I mean to be rude, but it's been a long trip..."

Moore smiled. "Yes, I imagine it would be. Well, all right."

He pulled a small, flat stone out of his pocket and laid it on the table. Giles picked it up reverentially.

"Thank you."

Moore shrugged. "The order was just as happy to have it out of our hands, if you want to know the truth. You will not bring this burden back to us again, friend."

Giles turned the stone over in his hands, only half listening. "Hmmm? Of course. Um...the council is in your debt, and, um, you have our deepest gratitude..."

"Gratitude?" scoffed Buffy. "Debt? Are you forgetting part two of this little treasure hunt, Giles? The part about how they also had some kind of magic battery to juice that baby up, and they LOST it?"

Moore blushed. "That was...not anticipated. We went to great lengths, Miss Summers. We stashed that key in the most innocuous suitcase we could imagine, and we made all the arrangements to ensure that she was safe..."

Finally, belatedly, Buffy connected the dots, the words "key"and "she" echoing in her brain as she saw the missing piece. Last time she had dealt with monks who had to hide a powerful mystical energy, she had gotten Dawn. It should have occurred to her that these monks might use a girl too...

Moore had pulled out a Palm Pilot-like device and was flicking through screens of pictures, timelines, graphs. She saw River's picture among the blur of data...

"...and no expense spared to retrieve her," Moore was saying. "Why, when Shepherd Book was saying he wished to travel, we allowed him to, hoping that perhaps he might stumble upon a clue to her whereabouts..."

Book kept his face impassive, but his fingers were clenched underneath the table in tight fists. He clearly was just as stunned as they were.

"So if we do find her," Buffy said in a casual tone. "What...what happens to her? How do we..."

"Why, blood, of course. A few drops should suffice. Just spill them on the stone, then say the incantation..."

They made their goodbyes as quickly as they were able, all of them deep in thought.

--

We have to handle this delicately," Giles was saying as they made their way back to the ship.

"Right under our noses all this time," Buffy marveled. To Book, she said "And you had no idea?"

"None at all. But then, our order has been keepers of this power for centuries, and we had no way of knowing when or if you would come and claim it. It would not be something a shepherd of my standing would be commonly briefed on."

"Oh, this is going to be a nightmare," Buffy groaned. "We only have that Moore guy's word that it won't hurt her. After what happened with Dawn..."

"This is different, Buffy. This key fits into a much smaller lock. It will not demand her life to activate it."

"Yeah. You want to try explaining that to Simon?"

"Don't think we'll have to," Giles said. "Look..."

They were nearing Serenity. The ship's door was open, the men busily unloading cargo. River had slipped out, and was seated on the grass, a goofy grin on her face as she watched Buffy and the other approach her.

"She is psychic," Giles said. "You told me yourself. She probably knows what we need."

"Well, she might have told us sooner..."

"Didn't know then," River said. She stood up, body swaying, Drusilla-like. "I saw the light, and it made pictures, but I couldn't see what the pictures made because there were shadows. But you found the stone, and you used it to chase the shadows away."

Buffy and Giles traded glances. "Um, okay..."

"It's all right, it won't hurt me. We can do it now..."

Giles retrieved the stone from his pocket and held it out to her. In a quick motion, she drew one of Buffy's stakes out of the side of her boot, used the pointy tip to slice her finger, and dripped three drops of blood onto the stone.

Time seemed to slow down for a minute. Buffy's breath felt heavy and thick, her eyelids almost dropping out beneath her. She felt steadying arms around her, then a shout from Simon.

"It's okay," River said. "Simon, it's okay. Look..."

The stone was no longer blood-stained, and glowed a bright, magical green.

"It's quiet now," said River. "One voice gone. One shadow chased away..."

It was done.

--

to be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Later, they stood in the empty, barren filed of the landing area, their bags at their feet and a sober crew gathered around them.

Giles reached into his duffel and pulled out a small, bulging mesh bag.

"For you," he said, tossing it to Captain Reynolds. "This should cover us."

The captain peeked into the bag, then his eyes widened. "Yes," he squeaked, clearly stunned by the prize. "This will be...fine..."

"Oh, are we doing presents?" Buffy asked. "Cause I've got one too..."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a handful of stakes, neatly bound together with ribbon. "Got a little bored being all holed up in there," she said. "Had some time to do a little whittling..."

She passed it to Zoe, he gave it a firm tap, then let Kaylee touch.

"Remember, they have to be wood," Giles said.

"Cross-bows if you don't want to get too close."

"And fire works too?" added Kaylee.

"Yes, -mei-mei-," said Buffy, trying out the endearment. "Fire works too."

The girls hugged, and as they pulled away, Kaylee started blubbering. Simon immediately pulled her into a hug and held her close, eyes still locked with Buffy's.

It was River who finally broke the poignant tableau. She reached out, brushed her now-bandaged finger against Buffy's cheek. "There's another one," she said.

Buffy gently pulled the fingers off of her. "There's a what, now?"

"Another girl. Another girl they've touched. A girl full of light."

"Dawn," said Giles. "She's referring to Dawn..."

"Yes, River," Buffy said. "There is another girl."

Then River pulled back again. Apparently, the mere knowledge that she was not alone was sufficient for her.

"I have a gift too," said Inara, stepping forward shyly. She slid a piece of paper into Giles' hand. "My WAVE i.d. So you can find me, if you cross to this world again."

With a reverential smile, he ripped off a small corner of it, scribbled something and handed it back to her. "My phone number. So you can find me if you ever cross over to mine.

He held out his hand to Buffy. "You ready?"

She shook her head, gave Simon a nod. "You can still come with us, you know."

Simon smiled, a little sadly though. "What they did to River, they did it here. I have to stay and find the answers, Buffy."

"I understand. You guys take care, you hear?"

There were collective nods, then the Serenity crew stepped back to give them space. Buffy flexed her arms, acclimating herself to her world and her watcher again.

"So that takes care of them," she said. "But what about us? What do we do now, Giles?"

"Now? We go home."

"And then?"

"Then we do a little magic."

"And then?"

He pondered for a moment. "And then we have tea. Shall we?"

They clasped hands and the last thing they saw as the vortex formed was a ring of smiling faces, waving goodbye to them across a curtain of light.

the end

Thanks to everyone for reading! Glad you enjoyed. Feel free to check out my BtVS/Angel fics here at and at my website 

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